Edmonton Foodie Meetup 2: Recap

Environment Canada had pegged the chance of rain at 40% for tonight, so I was crossing my fingers looking up at the sky, which had been oscillating dangerously between overcast and sunny all day. While the rain held out for our second Edmonton Foodie Meetup, it was definitely more brisk than it should have been for an outdoor picnic – we were all chilled to the bone by the end of the night.

Local foodies

In spite of the weather, a dozen people showed up for the planned potluck, and as Kevin predicted, the mix of food was perfect: Chris brought several of his trademark loaves of bread; Hanne and Carlo provided two salads; Kevin, Maki, Grace and Brooke made savoury dishes; and Courtney, Béné, Chris and I supplied desserts. (Unfortunately, we didn’t get a good photo of Grace’s chicken curry dish.)

Chris’s loaves of bread

Hanne and Carlo’s Smoked Paprika Potato Salad

Hanne and Carlo’s Green (from their garden) Salad

Maki’s Black Bean Crostini

Kevin’s Calf Moose

Brooke’s Meatballs

Courtney’s Peanut Butter and Butterscotch Marshmallow Squares

Béné and Chris’s Macarons

My (very run of the mill) Panna Cotta

It still amazes me how great the local food blogging/eating community is, though it shouldn’t surprise me – food brings people together.

Potluck mix

We all agreed that we would have a third meetup – watch for details on the wiki. Thanks everyone for a great night!

Great Broth: Pho Hoan Pasteur

In our quest to try all of the pho houses in Edmonton, Dickson introduced me to Pho Hoan Pasteur, a small restaurant located in a strip mall across the street from the aviation museum. Over our lunchtime stay, I was surprised at how busy it was on the random weekday – perhaps it wasn’t such a well kept secret as the location seemed to suggest.

The decor was nothing special, and really, with the checkered floor and red booths, the interior could be mistaken for a donair shop or a family-oriented Italian eatery.

Interior

We each ordered variants of our usual beef noodle soup: steak, fatty flank and crunchy (yes, I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s how it reads on the menu) for Dickson, at $7.25 for a large bowl, and steak and meatballs for me, at $6.35 for a small bowl. We also decided to spring for the green onion cakes ($), and were told that they “take a long time to make” when we ordered them. As we only had an hour for lunch, we wondered what kind of setback the appetizer would bring.

Thankfully, the staff had the prudence to bring us the more timely-to-prepare pho first. The broth was easily some of the best I have ever had in Edmonton – clear and bursting with flavour, the stock had clearly been prepared with care. The meatballs were also notable – sometimes just a protein placeholder, these meatballs had actually been well-seasoned, and did not taste like they had been in the deep freeze for months.

Pho with Steak and Meatballs

Pho with Steak, Fatty Flank and Crunchy

The green onion cakes arrived, and though promising, were ultimately disappointing. Too greasy, and without many green onions to speak of, they weren’t worth the wait.

Green Onion Cakes

The only downside to Pho Hoan Pasteur is that it isn’t within walking distance of my office – there isn’t any way that I can get there without a vehicle within my narrow lunch parameters. Ah well, on to the next challenger!

Pho Hoan Pasteur
11443 Kingsway NW
(780) 761-1989

The Cooking Chronicles: Seared Pork Tenderloin with Cocoa-Spice Rub and Mushroom Risotto

Similar to our Mother’s Day dinner in May, I corralled my sisters into assisting with our Father’s Day dinner this past weekend by assigning them each a dish. Amanda helped out by making a salad, and Felicia cheated a little by providing a store-bought cake (albeit my Dad’s favourite – Black Forest).

For the main course I decided to make a Michael Chiarello recipe for a seared pork tenderloin with cocoa-spice rub. It seemed easy enough, as the majority of the work was simply creating the rub itself. Mack, my tireless sous chef, trimmed the tenderloin while I measured out the spice ingredients, and once the meat was in the oven, we were able to focus all of our attention on preparing the side.

I’d been a little afraid of attempting a risotto recipe, but Trish Magwood’s straightforward instructions in Dish Entertains calmed me somewhat. We didn’t make it to the market on Saturday, so ended up with mushroom instead of asparagus flavouring. The true secret (if there is one) really is to add the simmering stock in half-cup increments, allowing the rice to slowly absorb the liquid. The entire process us about 25 minutes (Mack, the official risotto stirrer, thinks it may have been longer), and resulted in plump and tender grains and a creaminess that could not be achieved in any other way. Of course, the finish with a generous amount of butter and parmesan couldn’t hurt either.

Mushroom Risotto

The fragrant rub turned out really well, and the pork was juicy and flavourful. My cold was frustrating my ability to taste the rub, but I was told it was quite good. The leftovers worked great as an addition to a pita sandwich!

Seared Pork Tenderloin with Cocoa-Spice Rub

It was a nice sit down meal with family – something we don’t take the time to do often enough.

Slow Food Edmonton’s Wild Boar and Beer Scavenger Hunt!

Slow Food Edmonton’s 4th annual Wild Boar and Beer is a celebration of local food and drink! It is a chance to sample Mayerthorpe’s Hog Wild products, as well as several local and regional side dishes. In addition, there will be beer tastings and tours of Edmonton’s award-winning microbrewery, Alley Kat.

When: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 1-4pm
Where: Alley Kat Brewery, 9929 60 Avenue
Cost: $35 for Slow Food Edmonton members, $40 for non-members, $10 for children under 10

For your chance to win 2 tickets, on behalf of Slow Food Edmonton, I’ve put together a scavenger hunt of local producers, restaurants, and independent businesses. Your objective is to collect as many points as possible! From now until June 29, take photos of yourself posing with as many of the items below as you can. Some items on the list will earn you more points than others. Remember to ask permission before taking photos with individuals!

Upload your photos to a photo sharing site such as Flickr or Picasa, and send the link to boarandbeer@gmail.com by June 29. In the event of a tie, the name of a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be announced on June 30.

Have fun with this – the scavenger hunt is meant to encourage exploration of some of the best Edmonton has to offer. Perhaps you will find a new favourite in the mix!

I would like to acknowledge the Amateur Gourmet, and their Great New York Foodie Scavenger Hunt as the inspiration for this challenge.

Good luck!

Take a picture of yourself…

  1. Holding a copy of City Palate (5pts.)
    next to Mary Bailey (an extra 10pts.)
  2. With 1lb. of Transcend Coffee (10pts.)
  3. Holding a bottle of Alley Kat beer (5pts.)
    dressed as a cat (an extra 20pts.)
  4. With a bar of Kerstin’s Chocolates’ Chocophilia (5pts.)
    next to Kerstin Roos or Curtis Jones (an extra 20pts.)
  5. Holding a package of Hog Wild Specialties (15pts.)
  6. In front of Cafe de Ville (5pts.)
  7. Posing with an “Eat Local First” flyer (5pts.)
    in front of Wild Earth Foods (an extra 5pts.)
  8. Holding any Greens Eggs and Ham product (5pts.)
    with Mary Ellen or Andres Gruenberg (an extra 10pts.)
  9. Eating a Fat Frank (5pts.)
  10. Holding as many bell peppers as you can at the City Centre Farmers’ Market (1pt. each, up to a maximum of 10)
  11. With a copy of the Edible Prairie Journal (10pts.)
  12. In front of Call the Kettle Black (5pts.)
    holding a pot (an extra 5pts.)
  13. With an Original Fare VIP card (10pts.)
  14. Eating a dish at the EATery at the ARTery (10pts.)
  15. With a bottle of en Sante Wine (5pts.)
  16. Holding an order of Amy Quon’s hot and dry chicken (5pts.)
    with Amy Quon (an extra 10pts.)
  17. Holding a Slow Food membership card (10pts.)
  18. With a copy of Company’s Coming (5pts.)
    next to Jean Paré (an extra 30pts.)
  19. Enjoying gelato at Leva (5pts.)
  20. With cheese curds from the Cheese Factory (5pts.)
  21. With a d’Lish to-go meal (5pts.)
  22. Holding asparagus from Edgar Farms (5pts.)
  23. With a product from Blue Kettle (5pts.)
  24. Lining up at the Italian Centre deli (5pts.)
  25. With a bottle of jam from The Jam Lady (5pts.)
    Holding A Jam Story print (an extra 20pts.)
  26. With Sylvan Star Cheese (5pts.)

Food Notes for June 22, 2009

I really don’t do well with the hot-cold game the weather likes to play, but hopefully I am on my way to recovery, just in time for my birthday. Here are my notes:

  • A reminder about Edmonton’s second Foodie Meetup, taking place this Friday, June 26. If the weather holds up, come join us for a potluck at Dawson Park; if it is raining, we’ll be meeting at Suede Lounge for some warming cocktails. Hope to see you there!
  • Attention all Rob Feenie fans: upload a photo of your favourite recipe and send it to NAIT for your chance to win an autographed copy of Feenie’s: Brunch – Lunch – Dinner. Details here.
  • The Greater Edmonton Alliance has created a plan titled “The Way We Eat”, a blueprint to create a vibrant and sustainable local food economy. To show the community’s support in preventing the agricultural lands in the north east from being developed, the GEA is encouraging supporters to head to City Hall on June 23, from 6:30-9:30pm.
  • There was a great article about rooftop gardens in NYT this week. Alongside conversations about more urban greenspaces and farmland adjacent to cities, why can’t there be parallel conversations about rooftop farming?
  • Dahlia’s Mediterranean Bistro opened on 124th Street, just off Stony Plain Road – it looks to offer meals just in the daytime. A sign on Mikado’s downtown location says to watch for a westend outpost this summer.
  • Serious Eats had an interesting piece about 140 character Twitter recipes this past week.
  • Before meeting up with Mack for Pecha Kucha 4 at Shaw last week, I stopped by Blue Plate Diner for a solo meal. The curried chickpeas with saffron rice and grilled vegetables ($12) was a great dish – light, but so satisfying.

Curried Chickpeas from Blue Plate Diner

  • I received an e-mail from a local marketing company last week, who wanted to invite me to the upcoming grand opening of the new T&T Supermarket on Edmonton’s north side (9450 137 Avenue) taking place on July 2 at 9am. They were nice enough to deliver a bamboo steamer filled with Asian products – Pocky, wasabi peas, tea, a mangosteen, and others. I’m not sure I can make the grand opening (it’s unfortunately during the day), but you can join many other excited patrons at the store for a ribbon cutting ceremony, and lion dances.

Bamboo basket from T&T

  • Mack and I drove out to Sherbrooke Liquor Store for the first time last week – they have an awesome selection of local products, so I have a feeling it won’t be long before we’re back. We picked up Grog by Amber’s Brewing Company, a locally-made lime cooler that contains only 5 ingredients (water, lime, sugar, alcohol, rum). While we thought the packaging could be a little more attractive, we liked the tang and fresh taste of the cooler.

Amber’s Brewing Company Grog

  • We also bought Raspberry Fruit Wine by Field Stone Fruit Wine (a winery near Calgary). Super-sweet, it went down easy, and was a great accompaniment to my guilty pleasure: Tuxedo cake from Save-On Foods.

Dessert of champions: Raspberry Fruit Wine and Tuxedo Cake

The Cooking Chronicles: Chickpea Patties with Salad

I’m just about finished with Mark Bittman’s Food Matters, and I have to say, I’ve never been more inspired to cook with lentils and beans. Food Matters implores readers to reduce their overall meat intake, citing health benefits, the unacceptable conditions of industrial meat production, and the impossibility of the world to support the growing demand for meat. I respect Bittman’s philosophy primarily because he does not call for a radical shift – instead, he advocates for a gradual change, and a diet that can accommodate meat and other guilty pleasures – just in smaller and occasional quantities. It is an approachable method that doesn’t seek to alienate the public (or worse, be easily dismissed as “elitist”), and of course, it helps that the book contains both practical advice and actual recipes to follow.

I didn’t think I would be attracted to recipes without any photos, but I immediately bookmarked a handful of them, primarily the ones featuring chickpeas, which are my current ingredient-of-the-moment. Bittman’s recipes are also great because he lists dozens of substitutions – that knowledge is often assumed in cookbooks, and I appreciate that he spells it out for readers who need it like me.

I had printed off a recipe from Real Simple a few months ago, and didn’t get to it until this week. It coincidentally features, – you guessed it – chickpeas!

The chickpea patties were to be pureed in a food processor with garlic and seasonings, but as we are without a blender or a processor, we used Mack’s Magic Bullet instead. It worked all right, though for the consistency we were looking for, it was uneven (some too mushy, others left whole). We also ended up incorporating the additives by hand in a bowl, which seemed to work out fine. Our difficulty with the recipe, however, was actually forming the patties – they were on the dry side, and the flour dusting didn’t help. We imagined the patties would cook up crispy on the outside, pan-fried in olive oil, but the reality was that they were simply browned, and warmed through.

Chickpea patties with salad

Served with a fresh salad dressed in just olive oil and lemon, it was a light but filling supper. We are open to suggestions on how to improve the recipe though! Best of all, our supper also meant we were allowed to indulge in chocolate covered bacon without guilt, heh.

Sustainable Comfort: Founding Farmers

“Local” and “sustainability” are two of the key buzzwords in the restaurant industry right now, so it wasn’t surprising that Founding Farmers, a fairly new addition to DC’s restaurant scene, seems to live and breathe both of those practices. After reading their mission statement on their website, I was hooked, despite seeing both hit-and-miss reviews on Chowhound:

“The Founding Farmers name represents a combination of ideas: it is a celebration of the land, and the American family farmer; it is a nod to the founding fathers of our country, many of whom owned and farmed land that surrounds Washington, DC; and it is a place where true, sustainably farmed, grown and harvested American foods reminiscent of traditions from across the land are brought to our guests.”

Pig and bird light fixtures

I had made a reservation for us about a week prior through Open Table, and boy, was I glad I did. On a random Wednesday, the wait for a party of two was 35 minutes (recession, what recession?). We should have asked if any tables were available on the first floor, as it was bordered by two sides of windows, and sharing the space with a large bar made the dining area a little more casual. Upstairs, where we were led, was more formal: window shades, casual-cool dark wood furniture, and rounded banquets with some semblance of privacy. There were some rustic touches sprinkled throughout though – a shelf of large coloured jars of fruit and vegetables stood in one corner, while the same tungsten-baring light bulbs as seen in Proof hung from the ceiling. And too cute – water served from old-fashioned milk jars. Our table was known as the “communal table”, a beautifully lacquered piece formed from a section of a single trunk. Though Mack initially resented our placement, when a large, friendly group joined us later that night, we did end up interacting with them throughout our meal, as they asked us for dish recommendations.

Our communal table

The menu was massive, filled with crowd-pleasing comfort food favourites, from chicken pot pie to pot roast to shrimp and grits. Dishes were a little on the pricey side, but understandable given their sourcing of local ingredients. Based on the Chowhound chatter, the baby cheeseburgers (6 for $14) were non-negotiable, and to round off my beef intake for the week, I decided on the farmer’s meatloaf ($16) – it wasn’t until later that night that I realized how much ground beef I had consumed that day. Mack, a sucker for macaroni and cheese, gave their version a spin, which involved handmade macaroni and lobster and gouda-gruyere cheese ($25). Founding Farmers does not serve a complimentary bread course, following in the tail wind of other upscale eateries in the U.S. that charge for a then-necessarily high-quality bread basket. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long for our appetizer plate, with six mini burgers and (a bonus) fries. They were easily the best sliders I’ve ever had – with soft house-made bread that cushioned the patty. The ground-to-order beef had been cooked to medium (slightly pink inside), and the crunch of the sour pickle inside was a nice touch. The fries were great, though slightly too salty.

Baby Cheeseburgers

When our entrees arrived, we knew finishing our meal would be difficult. My thick slice of meatloaf, made with ground beef and mushrooms, was accompanied by two gravies, which helped bring out some of the inherent flavour in the meat. Though the dish itself was very good, by the end of my serving, it became a little redundant.

Farmer’s Meatloaf with Yukon Gold Potatoes and Today’s Vegetable

Mack found the kitchen to have been quite generous with the lobster, but faced a similar obstacle with a very rich dish. He commented that the cheese was a bit like cheese whiz, actually, and was disappointed that there wasn’t any crispy, melted excess on top.

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

It is worth noting that service was both hit and miss that night – our server was quite eager and attentive, right up until we put in our order. It took us a while to finally get a needed water refill.

As a whole, I applaud Founding Farmers for the concept behind the restaurant, and their commitment to sourcing quality, local ingredients. Something was missing for me, and though I can’t put my finger on it, I know Mack disagrees with me – it was his favourite restaurant experience in DC.

Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC
(202) 822-8783

Capitol Escape: Jimmy T’s Place

While Mack and I consistently bemoan the lack of diners in Edmonton, we take every opportunity to patronize neighbourhood diners when out of town.

Jimmy T’s Place was such a diner, located just ten minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Capitol Hill, it afforded a temporary refuge from fellow tourists and busyness.

Jimmy T’s Place

A Fodor’s recommendation, like Teaism, I was drawn to this restaurant primarily because of the price, but also for its diner billing. I loved the interior, which appeared as if it hadn’t been retouched since it opened – pipes were exposed, paint was chipped, seat cushions were ripped – and yet, combined with the vaulted metallic ceiling and counter service, it looked like it had been lived-in, endearingly cozy.

Interior

Unfortunately, the food didn’t quite live up to our affection for the décor. Mack’s eggs benedict (they serve all-day breakfast), was serviceable, with a crisp English muffin base, but the potatoes were sorely undercooked. My burger was moist, but really nothing special. Our biggest beef was actually how long we had to wait for the food – we watched as several walk-ins received their orders long before ours had even reached the grill.

Eggs Benedict

Cheeseburger and Fries

I’d recommend Jimmy T’s for the escape, but not for the food.

Jimmy T’s Place
501 E Capitol St SE
Washington, DC
(202) 546-3646

Day 3 in DC: Capitol Adventures

While we found most of DC to be accessible regardless of home country, the reality is that arranging tours of two of the most high-profile attractions are easier as a US citizen. We did our best to try “back channels” to obtain a White House tour, but without a Congressional or Senate representative to turn to, we were out of luck. The same was true for advanced tour tickets to the Capitol Building.

Capitol

As a result, directed by our fallback advice from the guidebooks that recommended waiting in line an hour and a half before the Visitor Centre’s 8:30am opening, we arrived at the nearly empty grounds of the Capitol at 7:30. Unlike the Washington Monument, however, not only did the Capitol website not provide any details as to when and where to line-up, it also did not have any visual placards or signs positioned at the centre to orient tourists. We approached one of the security officers, who directed us to the west entrance of the centre, but as not a single person was around, we doubted his instructions.

Site of our waiting game

At about 8, the east side of the centre (each end was equipped with their own security checkpoint) started to draw a crowd, but it turned out that those individuals had already been granted tickets for a specific timed tour. Reassuringly though, at around 8:15, schoolchildren started to arrive in herds, and dutifully joined the line behind us.

While we waited for the doors to open, we watched curiously as one of the security guards methodically combed the grasses by the stairs, every 10 minutes or so. The motive behind his actions was explained when he pulled out a water bottle and a pack of snacks, sneakily stashed there by one of the teachers supervising a group of youth (food and drink, including water bottles, are not allowed inside the building). The guard immediately directed the gentleman to dispose of the goods. One would almost think the greenery isn’t worth planting for the temptation it allows.

When the doors opened, we passed through the security check, and down a set of stairs into chaos. Blinded by the dozens of brightly colored t-shirts worn by school groups (to allow for easy identification and round-up), there was again a lack of signage to direct those without tours arranged in advance. We eventually found our way to a line on the west side of the building, and were told that any tickets uncalled for would be distributed on a first come, first served basis. It turned out I owed an apology to the external guard, and after another half hour of patience, we were awarded with tickets to the 9am tour.

Lady Liberty (the statue atop the dome)

The Capitol tour started with a 13 minute film titled “Out of Many, One”, which, although sounded cheesy and unnecessary at the outset, was a reasonably well-produced film that provided a good introduction to both Congress and the building itself.

Film completed, we were ushered by an enthusiastic, trivia-minded guide through select hallways of the Capitol. Apparently tours are shorter in the spring and summer due to the higher demand, but we didn’t notice. Highlights included: finding out that each state has two statues of prominent figures in the Capitol (and if we had a home state, we would have been craning our necks to find them too); the “whispering room” where words spoken were “magically” amplified (similar to the “waterfall” spot in the Alberta Legislature); and seeing the artwork underneath the great dome, and the surrounding pieces lining the room directly underneath. While it wasn’t as awe-inspiring as the Vatican, it was neat to be able to tour such a prominent landmark.

Room beneath the great dome

Great dome

The guide encouraged us to take advantage of the fact that both the House and the Senate were in session that day, and obtain passes to enter the galleries. This was one area where international visitors had an advantage over domestic visitors – all we had to do was request the passes directly from the respective desks located in the same building, while domestic visitors had to travel to their state representative’s office contained in a separate facility across the street.

Success!

We ended up at the House Gallery. Sadly, the number of tourists in the Gallery outnumbered the politicians on the floor – the credit card regulation bill was up for discussion, and only three members, staff, and guests were present. We stayed only long enough to watch the acting speaker likely put in his lunch order with numerous aides, then headed to look at the newly renovated Capitol exhibit. Because we had the benefit of a verbal tour, most of the displays were superfluous by that point, but for those unable to obtain tickets, would have provided good background on the history and politics of the building.

Before lunch, we quickly explored both the Library of Congress and Supreme Court buildings, located just across the street. The Library was unexpectedly stunning, with several notable exhibits, including a recreation of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library. Mack thought the Library’s “virtual passport” program was pretty innovative, allowing visitors to create an account and access files they have “downloaded” at home.

Inside the Library of Congress

Unfortunately, we had just missed a guided tour of the Supreme Court, meaning that we were not able to see inside the courtroom itself. That would have been the only area of interest, as the exhibit in the basement was unimpressive.

A model of the courtroom

For lunch, we consulted my food map and jointly decided that we wanted to venture off the tourist path to Jimmy T’s Place. The walk to the restaurant was nice, shaded and quiet, and punctuated with charming storefronts and houses.

So charming!

Our next stop was the Newseum, something Mack had been looking forward to for some time. Next to the museum, on cushy Pennsylvania Avenue, was the Canadian Embassy. It looked great on the outside, with grand stone columns, but inside, all we had access to was an underwhelming photo display and several maps detailing U.S.-Canadian trade.

Canadian Embassy in DC

We did notice a difference in patron make-up at the Newseum, primarily, we were sure, due to the $20 vs. free ticket price – a stark lack of children! The building was beautiful, which can be assessed from the outside – six levels with glass panels typically reserved only for office complexes. The natural light flooded the museum with optimism that matched the ideal of the endless possibilities of journalism.

Newseum

Front pages of newspapers from all over the world

There was simply too much to see – exhibits detailing the history of the newspaper, media coverage of 9/11 (including a display of one of the fallen satellite towers from one of the World Trade Centre buildings), the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall (including a section of the wall itself), and the hunt for Lincoln’s killer. The Newseum was definitely built with a new generation in mind – there were countless interactive displays and computer screens all over.

Section of the Berlin Wall

9/11 exhibit

Newseum balcony (Capitol in the background)

Mack particularly liked the photo exhibit capturing both amateur and professional shots of President Obama, in the campaign and in his first days in office, and I was drawn to the Pulitzer Prize exhibit, showcasing photos that have won the prestigious prize since its inception.

President Obama photo exhibit

Pulitzer Prize exhibit

We left the museum at closing time in dire need of rest. Like a marathon, we probably should have built up our walking stamina prior to the trip – between the early mornings and countless miles, we were exhausted. We recuperated at Starbucks (where I saw this amusing sign – why not have a “customer of the month”?).

Ready to tackle the last leg of the day, we took the Metro back to Foggy Bottom with the intention of visiting the supermarket to pick up goods for breakfast, but even better, had unintentionally timed our trip to coincide with the weekly FRESHFARM Market at Foggy Bottom!

I wrote about how great the “neighbourhood” farmers’ market is a few weeks ago, but I’m still entranced by the idea of a small, but varied number of vendors, gathering together on a weekly basis in a strategic, high-traffic location. In this particular instance, the market was in a small park just behind a Metro stop, next to a hospital, on the greater George Washington University Campus, and surrounded by walk-ups. How great would it be to be able to pick up needed groceries, on the way home from work, directly from producers without having to make a weekend trip to a market potentially far from home?

Browsing at the market

We marveled at the array of spring produce (remember, it was still snowing in Edmonton when we left), including strawberries and asparagus, and toured the other vendors that included a baker, bison and chicken farmers, and a Mexican food stand.

The best thing about FRESHFARM Markets (they operate several within the DC area), is that in each location, they support a non-profit agency in that neighbourhood – in Foggy Bottom’s case, it is Miriam’s Kitchen, an agency that provides homemade meals to homeless men and women.

We couldn’t resist picking up some strawberries (they were unbelievably ripe) and a lavender teacake to share for breakfast the next day.

Our market purchases

After dropping off our market goodies at the hotel, we headed by foot to our dinner reservation that night – Founding Farmers (with a name like that, how could we resist?).

We ended off the night continuing to push our pedestrian boundaries by walking over to the Watergate complex and The Kennedy Centre.

With all of the spin-off “Watergate” terms now ubiquitous to describe various scandals – political and pop culture alike, and all the infamy associated with the site of Nixon’s downfall – the seemingly everyday, concrete-toothed complex was remarkably unremarkable.

Watergate

The photo actually captures one of the apartment buildings – we only realized later that the break-in happened in the office building within the complex

Next door was the stunning Kennedy Centre. It was built to honour John F. Kennedy, and is, in fact, a “living memorial”. As he was a great supporter of the arts, the Kennedy Centre hosts free concerts every night, which are open to the public.

Plane over the Kennedy Centre

It is a building meant to be seen at night, the gold-tone columns illuminated, and the portico offering a romantic stroll along the serene Potomac.

Kennedy Centre

Mack and me

The interior was a sight to see as well (with some additional TV glee as well – the Kennedy Centre was the setting for part of an episode of The West Wing). Between the lush, regal red carpets, forever ceiling and crystal chandeliers, it is definitely a performance hall fit to pay tribute to a fallen President of the United States.

Kennedy Centre interior

We returned to our hotel, utterly spent. Thankfully, the following day allowed for a slightly later start – almost enough time for our feet to forgive us.

You can read Mack’s Day 3 recap here.

Kerstin’s Chocolates’ Chocolate Covered Bacon

Today I brought home a gastronomic gem never before seen in Edmonton: chocolate covered bacon.

Chocolate Covered Bacon

To commemorate Father’s Day, Kerstin’s Chocolates pulled out all the stops – sourcing prized Berkshire bacon from local farm Sunshine Organic, they created a treat worthy of conversation. Crispy strips of bacon are dipped in Venezuelan single origin 49% dark chocolate, then sprinkled with Madagascar cocoa nibs – a sweet and savoury confection that would certainly add something special to the Sunday brunch table.

I picked some up after work this afternoon (limited quantities are available at The Cocoa Room until Saturday, June 20), with the intent to share the discovery with Mack. The two strips cost me $5.25 at $15.00/100g. While I am a huge fan of Kerstin’s Chocolate (my favourite Chocophilia Bars are Mocha Bean and Educador 72%), Mack’s love of bacon is unrivalled. We thought it might be best to capture both perspectives in one post.

Cross-section

On the idea:

Sharon: I was intrigued, though I know from past experience, sweet and salty combinations are hit or miss for my palate – salty caramels: yes. Chocophilia’s Fleur de Sel: no.

Mack: Did someone say bacon?

On first glance:

Sharon: I’m not sure I was expecting whole slices of bacon, but I suppose they are more presentable, and pleasing to the eye that way.

Mack: Somehow a strip of chocolate covered bacon looks underwhelming relative to the idea.

On initial contact:

Sharon: Cutting to divide the strip in half with a knife, I didn’t expect the resounding crunch.

Mack: Looking at the cross-section, I was happy to be able to distinguish the layer of bacon in between chocolate.

On first taste:

Sharon: Nothing beats Kerstin’s dark chocolate! But I’m not sure about the chewiness…

Mack: First the chocolate, then a hint of bacon, and an unfamiliar texture. Interesting.

Aftertaste:

Sharon: I can’t say the bacon really came through for me – the star of the show was definitely the chocolate. The nibs were supposed to add another element I suppose, but they weren’t necessary.

Mack: I wish I loved chocolate as much as I love bacon.

Conclusion:

Sharon: It’s definitely a conversation starter (or shocker). Mack Twittered that he was about to try chocolate covered bacon, and received numerous replies in a matter of minutes!

Mack: I’ll stick to plain bacon and deep-fried Mars bars, but cool concept.

Kudos to Kerstin’s for highlighting a local farmer, and for getting people excited about an unusual product. Who knows what they will cover in chocolate next? Send your requests to Kerstin’s via Twitter. Sunshine Organic will be offering samples of the bacon at their City Centre Market booth on Saturday.

Kerstin’s Chocolates, The Cocoa Room
10139 112 Street
(780) 990-0011